St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-04

The Wife of Matthias Hauer Fa-
tally Injured by the Discharge
of a Gun in Her Husbands
Hand.
Matthias IIauer. a German labOrer.
lived with his wife and four small
children in a twO-rGOm shanty on the
extension OF Fairfield avenue, known as
the old Mendoza road. Their oldest
child is only eleven years of age and
the Youngest is scarcely year old.
About O'Clock yesterday afternoon
Mrs. Hauer was shot i'm the head and
Instantly killed by gun in the hands
of her husband. whether accidentally or
Intentionally. is not known. The shoot
ing first became known to the police
when Hauer appeared at the central sta
ton about 3 o'clock. accompanied by
August EdOlf. one of his neighb0rS, and
surrendered himself. He is German.
of Bavaria. and does not understand
English. having landed at Castle Garden
on the 18th of last August, with
his family and household effects. He
told. through an Interpreter, some con-
fiicting tales regarding the shooting and
was very much excited. He said first
that he was cleaning the gun in the
hiltIltl. iltli hllbMlilS llldl IL was lOobONt
and that she was close by him at the
wash tub when the gun was
ACCIDENTALLY DISCHARGED.
He said afterward that the gun was
standing in a corner between two bar
relS of >auer llraut. and when he under
took To move one OF the barrels the gun
was discharged.
The house. which stands directly be-
low the bluff. is surrounded by wicker
fence which inclOSeS about eight feet of
space in front. The floor of the main
room where Mrs Hauer was doing the
family washing WAS flooded with her
blood. and the snow about
the gate in front Of the
house WAS soaked with blood.
Hauers explanation of this is
that after he shot her he pulled her
outside to the gate to give her air, but
there were 10 signs Of blood on the path
leading into the house. Through the
lower pane of glass in the window.
looking ont Of the room toward the
street i pierced a single hole about half
an inch in diameter. apparently made
by bullet OF large-SiZed shot. The
wire netting protecting the window,
through which the ball also passed, is
bent outward. showing that the shot was
fired from within. The gun was single
barrel breech-lOadeT. 1t is evident from
the nature of the wound that it was
made by charge OF shot. The upper
left side of the woman's face is almost
entirely torn away, and all the fractures
are
HORRIBLY MUTILATED.
The ball which passed through the win
dow was probably Il stray shot. John
Stoeger. Jr.. a young German living
next door. was called to the place by
Hauer's cries shortly after the shooting.
When lie arrived the woman was lying
dead ut the gate. Matt Echenger, j.
Holm and August EdOlf. living in the
vicinity. all arrived inside of two min
utes, attracted by Hauer'S cries. They
picked the body up and carried it back
into the house, and, at EdOlf'S Sugges-
ton, lIauer started at once to the cen
trail station to give himself up. John
StOegcr. ST. an old man, was a
fellow toWnsman of the Hauers
iii the old country. and says they lived
happily together. Mrs Hauer was
thirty-three years old, and her maiden
name was Barbara SchTamer. None of
the neighbOrs ever knew of any trouble
between IIauer and his wife. Coroner
Quinn visited the place at once and had
the body removed to NOlk' undertaking
establishment on Dakota avenue, where
an Inquest viii be held at II o'clock TO-
morrow.